Mixed message: Di Cho by Nguyen Manh Hung, one of the installations in The Clouds Will Tell. — VNS Photo Minh Thu

HA NOI  (VNS) — The Clouds Will Tell, a multimedia exhibition at the Nha San Collective, reveals artists' preoccupation with social problems.

The exhibition introduces works by 10 emerging artists, including Nguyen Phuong Linh's installation May (Clouds), visual artist Nguyen Huy An's series of paintings entitled Ao (Pond) and Nguyen Manh Hung's installation Di Cho (Go to the Market).

The darkly humorous sculpture of a warplane carrying bags of vegetables and meat bought from the market draws on the artist's personal experience.

"My father was a helicopter pilot, so images of planes have been in my mind since childhood. That's why planes appear in a lot of my work," Hung said.

"Vietnamese contemporary artists face many challenges, such as a lack of exhibition space and government support," said Nora Taylor, lecturer from the Art Institute of Chicago.

"However, inspired by the collective's spirit, the artists whose work is featured at Nha San demonstrated initiative to explore new boundaries and reinvent artistic norms."

Art tours with curator Tuan Mami and artists will be organised in Vietnamese and English for visitors who are interested in learning more about the art, the artists' creative process and other activities of the Nha San Collective.

According to Tuan Mami, Nha San Collective differs from museums and galleries, where finished art is presented. It's a working studio where artists can create, collaborate and receive advice and critiques, in addition to getting the chance to meet with international artists and curators.

This is the first group exhibition of the Nha San Collective at the new space after its former home, Zone 9 art complex that located at an abandoned pharmaceuticals plant at 9 Tran Thanh Tong Street, closed down.

It will run until October 5 at Nha San Collective, 24 Ly Quoc Su Street, Ha Noi. — VNS